The Toronto Raptors were flawless in their execution down the stretch.
That wasn’t the case for the Cavaliers, who dropped their third consecutive game, 99-93, on Feb. 25 before 13,758 at Quicken Loans Arena.
The teams traded buckets for much of the fourth quarter, but in the end it was too much DeMar DeRozan, who had 16 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter.
“They did a great job of executing down the stretch,” Cavs guard Kyrie Irving said.
Irving played the entire second half, 45 minutes in all, en route to 25 points, nine assists and two steals.
“I told Coach I was willing to do whatever it takes,” Irving said. “I’d go out and compete and live with the results.
“We have to execute a lot better, especially when the ball is in my hands.”
DeRozan, a teammate of Irving’s on the Eastern Conference All-Star team, was too much to handle. He made 12 of 25 from the field, and 9 of 13 from the foul line.
He added four rebounds and six assists.
The Cavs (22-36) held a two-point advantage, 89-87, with 3 minutes, 11 seconds to play.
From there, they were outscored 12-4 down the stretch.
The Cavs’ playoff chances are dwindling with every loss. They are five games behind No. 8 Atlanta (26-30) for the final playoff spot in the East.
With the game on the line, the Raptors (32-25) outscored the Cavs, 31-24, in the fourth quarter. They committed two turnovers in the fourth, compared to six for the Cavs.
Forward Terrence Ross added 19 points for the Raptors, including a 5-for-8 performance from behind the arc.
The Cavs made just 5 of 17 from the 3-point line in the game.
Center Spencer Hawes added 15 points and seven rebounds in his first start for the Cavs. He was traded to Cleveland by Philadelphia last week.
Coach Mike Brown went with his two 7-footers for much of the fourth quarter. Tyler Zeller was active with eight points and six rebounds.
The Cavs outrebounded the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, 43-39, as forwards Tristan Thompson and Luol Deng each had nine.
However, it seemed as if the Raptors got every 50/50 ball. That was an area in which injured center Anderson Varejao excels. He missed his seventh consecutive game with a sore back, and didn’t travel to Oklahoma City after the game.
Toronto, the third seed in the East, also received 13 points and nine assists from point guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry, however, had a dreadful night shooting: 3 of 15 from the field, 0 of 9 from the 3-point arc.
“You can’t let that stop you from helping your team win,” Lowry said.
Guard Jarrett Jack added 12 points and four assists for the Cavs, while Thompson had 13 points and guard Matthew Dellavedova 10.
The Raptors led after three quarters, 70-69. However, the officials took away a basket by Lowry with 1:13 left in the third, saying it came after the shot clock had expired.
The reversal gave the Cavs a 69-68 lead.
There were two key plays in the fourth quarter, and both went against the Cavs. Zeller was called for a questionable offensive foul with 6:26 to play, while Irving was also called for charging with 1:02 left.
“The refs weren’t why we lost the game,” Brown said. “It’s stuff we don’t have control over. We have to fight through it and still find a way to win.”
That’s exactly what the Raptors did.
“Every game, for us, is a grind,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “They had just won six in a row and have the All-Star MVP, so for us, we’ve got to come in with the attitude of being a desperate team and a hungry team every time.”
The Cavs used a 14-0 run, which bridged the second and third quarters, to get back in the game.
DeRozan picked off a pass from Hawes with 31.9 seconds left in the game, which led to two free throws for a 96-91 lead.
“I was Richard Sherman tonight, just trying to read (the Cavs offense),” he said. “I kind of anticipated that.”

About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@morningjournal.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsInsider.